- Beta Day is FINALLY Here! -
Published on September 26, 2008 By ScottTykoski In GalCiv Journals
Currently available on Impulse is Beta1 of GCII version 2.0 (we're shooting for only one major Beta, but there may be more).
 
I'll keep exposition to a minimum, so here's that list of remaining features you'll be receiving...
 
 
New Negotiation Options
Tech Brokering is a game setup option that restricts the trading of technologies to only those you've personally researched. This keeps tech-trade-spam to a minimum and gives some extra muscle to races more technologically inclined.
 
Trading of fleets has also been added, so now you can gather up all the ships you want to unload and send them off with ease.
 
 
All Campaigns Playable
It took some tweaking, but we finally got the Dreadlord and Dark Avatar campaigns working directly in Twilight of the Arnor. (I don't believe this made it in for today's build.)
 
 
Arnorian Ship Style
With the final build of 2.0 you'll have full access to the ship style of the Arnorians.
 
 
Manual
Yes, the manual has been update with all the 2.0 features.     Sorry for the wait.
 
 
Feedback
We're now at the stage where the players get to step in and beat up our creation   Take 2.0 for a couple of laps, let us know how it runs, and give us your feedback. Enjoy!
 
** Concerning the Download: If you're having issues downloading the Beta, make sure... **
1. Pre-Release versions are Selected
2. You press F5 to Check for New Updates
3. If you don't see it, restart Impulse
4. Still don't see it? Restart your computer.
5. Still not there?! Toggle 'Enable Fast-Start' and reload.
6. OMG...Still?!?! Uninstall TA (ONLY TA), reinstall it, and just chalk it up as a 'fun' part of the beta experience

Comments (Page 5)
6 PagesFirst 3 4 5 6 
on Oct 01, 2008

You know when you're making a custom race or upgrading a core ship design and you get that box full of text for the description? You have to hold down the delete key for AGES to clear it

For ship designs, I've usually been able to clear the text quickly by double-clicking in the edit field and pressing DELETE.

But that sort of functionality does seem a bit inconsistent throughout the UI. Starbase name fields, for example, sometimes appear ready to be cleared with DELETE, but other times focus seems to be stuck on the actual starbase and pressing DELETE gets a prompt to confirm that you wanted to destroy the base.

on Oct 01, 2008

I require copy/paste function in my text windows for PC games.

Also, if you save the race, you can open the file in notepad and edit the description and stuff there.

on Oct 01, 2008

Thanks for the update guys!

Is there any chance of a widescreen loading menu?  I asked about it a while back and frogboy said you might be able to help!  The original loading screen in 1680x1050 is badly stretched in all versions. (DL, DA & TotA)

on Oct 02, 2008

@BoogieBac

I said I would get back to you about an issue in a previous post of mine (in this thread), so here I am. I had some time today and played around with the download issue I mentioned I had with Sins of a Solar Empire, and it appears that a recent update has fixed it. Sins now asks me where I want it to be installed to. So disregard my previous post that mentions it.

However, there is a few issues from installing from archive. Atleast when I was fiddling around with Sins.

-You are not asked where to restore the game from archive to (only tested with Sins). Sins when being restored from archive, would always install to where ever the install location stated. This is also a different location to where it would install if you were to install fresh (uninstall the game and redownload). So if it says "C:\Program Files", it would install in "C:\Program Files\Sins of a Solar Empire" instead of "G:\Program Files\Stardock Games\Sins of a Solar Empire".

-Wierd game icons on desktop after restore from archive. I have an old game icon for Sins that points to its "Total Gaming" folder (probally from back when I used SDC more). Anyways, when ever its on the desktop, and I restore Sins from archive, it generates several extra game icons that only displays an error message when I try to use them. With a little effort, I can remove them and find the one that works correctly.

________________

I have a few more comments and suggestions to make about Impulse. Where is a proper place to do so?

on Oct 03, 2008

Some more suggestions for version 2.0:

-Icons for starbase build statis: We get an icon on the side whenever we have ships built, and for spies. Can we get one for when a starbase gets completely filled up with modules? I've played large maps and I have at times completely filled up a starbase, but have no idea where it is. As such, it requires some effort to locate that specific starbase so you could redirect constructors head for it to somewhere else, and to avoid those annoying messages about your starbase is already full.

For this, could we get 3 icons. When a starbase is filled up, could we get a green icon? When we get a tech that allows us to install more modules, could we get a yellow one? For when we send a constructor to a starbase that is already filled, could we get a red icon (preferably once per starbase when constructors auto-move at the end of the turn)?

-Don't build these module types option: The new feature for starbases to automatically install modules is useful, but there are some module types that some people don't use. I consider starbase attack and defense useless, if for no other reason than they have little to no effect end game. As such, I don't want to have such a module installed without me having a reason to make an exception. Unfortunatley, the new feature that governs starbase development doesn't allow you to avoid it. If you have a constructor, and some modules you can potentially install, it will install them when you rather they went somewhere else.

-Meaniful information about AI ship designer updates: Being informed that the AI ship designer has made new ships is handy, but the current system doesn't provide us any real meaniful information. It doesn't say that these ships are new, or have been updated. The only way you can know which ones are new, is to either keep track of what ships you had before, or to check the tech tree (to see which AI designed ships are unlocked by the new tech). It also doesn't tell you what changes were made between this design, and the one it replaces (such as price, miniturization, or firepower).

on Oct 03, 2008

Which reminds me of something;

I really do like the introductory music while the Terror Star is animating until i get to the next screen(s). Although, with the new 'external' Ship Designer; i'd prefer some silence if you can!

on Oct 03, 2008

Wait a sec... is the automatic ship desinger fixed and no longer makes better ships than tech allows? And are Influence points at last usefull?

(I don't use the beta patches ever (again)... last time i did, the frigging thing messed up all the graphics and i didn't have archived released patch...)

on Oct 03, 2008

IP are still pretty effectively useless.

I'd like to see a checkbox to just disable the United Fail. I don't want to leave and eat the penalties, I don't want to deal with the stupid resolutions.

on Oct 03, 2008

+1 for updating all non-widescreen content.  And might as well do up everything in 16:9 while you're at it, from what I hear the monitor and hdtv manufacturers are doing away with the silliness of having 2 different widescreen aspect ratios and 16:10 will be dead soon.

on Oct 04, 2008

rls669
+1 for updating all non-widescreen content.  And might as well do up everything in 16:9 while you're at it, from what I hear the monitor and hdtv manufacturers are doing away with the silliness of having 2 different widescreen aspect ratios and 16:10 will be dead soon.

 

Just went into 'Video options' to verify if anything was changed to accomodate huge variations when switching between 1280x1024 (my usual & regular setting) and 1680x1050 (default monitor optimal choice *AND* a much wider enviro)... and, sadly, there hasn't been any corrections made to the disproportional effects caused by panoramic view instead of scaled 4:3. Trade images are still recalibrating to weird crunching ratios & the planet surfaces deploy wacky buildings (as compared to what we're being used to see - bilinear re-scaling DO add blurry artifacts to these; more obvious in fact with the X-Worlds mod 'squared_like' sets).

 

The gameplay field itself can certainly benefit a widened perspective (and it does, indeed!) when the monitor resolution modes allow it. At the cost of having other areas *looking* strange, though.

AFAIC, the only easy way to correct these is to rewrite most scripts in many of the dxpacks with specific incode_relation to the Video-options resolution parameter selected.

 

I even went as far as to create a new *DomesticGraphsEntryWnd.dxpack* to enforce the whole set of categories (7 rather than scroll 5 to the extra missing two stuck in the right side of that panel) to show in the Statistics screen -- but, that's an indirect solution for me. Although 1680 mode, naturally adds some annoying empty space while 1280 drops everything onto the frame all at once to consult.

 

on Oct 04, 2008

+1 for updating all non-widescreen content. And might as well do up everything in 16:9 while you're at it, from what I hear the monitor and hdtv manufacturers are doing away with the silliness of having 2 different widescreen aspect ratios and 16:10 will be dead soon.

Well, the vast majority of aspect-ratio dependent is largely movies from what I can tell, and that means several versions of the same movie, which would take a lot of disk space.

I would recommend one standard ratio and one widescreen ratio of the movies, and if something is not either of the two ratios, letterbox the movie with the nearest aspect ratio rather than streching it.

It's one thing that annoys me about a lot of widescreen TVs in public areas: They'll be showing some standard aspect ratio TV show streched to widescreen, making everybody look fat. It's pretty ugly IMHO when streching is used. I'd much rather have the black bars.

on Oct 04, 2008

What's funny is that 16:9 has become the standard for HDTV . . . but most movies are now released in 2.4:1 superduper widescreen, so even with a "widescreen" tv you've either got to zoom in and crop the edges, or letterbox it.

on Oct 05, 2008

Well, the vast majority of aspect-ratio dependent is largely movies from what I can tell, and that means several versions of the same movie, which would take a lot of disk space.

 

Oh, but since you are refering to the bink movies... i'd rather get the 'original' fixed ratios & sizes in a much smaller pop-up window than blowing all of these on full-screens (be it at any resolutions).

Events, first occurances, etc.

Not that tough to do, as it only involves an overall of some dxpack interfacing parameters to accomodate 'limited spannings'. As an option would be almost essential as many configurations are possible.

on Oct 05, 2008

*rabble* *rabble* *rabble*  add ship queue to planetary shipyards pls *rabble* *rabble* *rabble*

on Oct 05, 2008

And one more thing:  for the love of all that's holy, give us an option to NOT AUTO-UPGRADE FARMS!  Without turning off autoupgrades altogether.

6 PagesFirst 3 4 5 6